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Did you know that Michael Learned was a struggling single mother at the time that she was cast on The Waltons, and that she didn’t think that the show was even going to make it to air? When The Waltons appeared on television in 1972, the cast of the show didn’t think that it was going to make it past one season. In fact, it seems that there were some people working on the series that didn’t even believe it was going to make it to air! This apparently included Michael Learned, who played matriarch Olivia Walton on the series. According to Olivia, she had been led to believe that the production of the show was some kind of tax write-off.
▬Contents of this video▬
00:00 - Intro
00:38 - Michael Learned Thought The Waltons Would Flop
01:49 - Michael Enjoyed the Money That She Got From Television
04:13 - The Waltons Was an Unlikely Phenomenon
05:40 - Michael Disliked Working on The Waltons
07:01 - Michael Wishes She Hadn’t Quit the Show
07:57 - Outro
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The Waltons ended up being a runaway hit and lasted for nine seasons. However, only seven of those seasons ended up including Michael, as she left the series before it ended. The actress still regrets the decision. According to Michael Learned, the reason that she took her role on The Waltons was because of the money. At the time that she was offered the role of Olivia Walton, she was a struggling single mother.
The money that Michael Learned was making from The Waltons made a huge difference for her and her sons. However, she didn’t think that it was going to be a steady gig. Michael claims that she was unsure if The Waltons was even going to make it to air. Though she was disappointed by the prospect of losing out on her new steady paycheck, she was also glad that she likely wasn’t going to have to keep performing on television anymore.
Prior to working on The Waltons, Michael Learned was making a name for herself on the stage. Michael hated the rigorous demands that came as a result of television’s tight shooting schedules. For that matter, she also hated playing the character of Olivia Walton, whom she believed was too saccharine. Because of this, it was a bittersweet victory when The Waltons became a success and ended up lasting for nine seasons. After seven seasons, Michael Learned gave up her role on the program. However, she sometimes wishes that she hadn’t. Join Facts Verse as we explore how Michael Learned still regrets leaving The Waltons to this day.
Michael Learned Still Regrets Leaving the Waltons to This Day